Lone Wolf
by VanitasVan32
Summary: Valarie has heard a new rumor about a mysterious new world in the forest close to home, but what she found wasnt at all what she expected. What will become and what will happen when Valarie meets these new people from this magical world, and will she find her one true love among these people..
1. Chapter 1

Lone Wolf

Every once in a while, you'll hear rumors of a secret world in the woods below an ancient ruin. Some will say it doesn't exist and others will say they've been beyond the tree that holds the secret door way. Well I for one am going to find it. My names Valarie. I'm a born adventure with a curiousity of a wolf pup, and I want to see this world beyond the trees.

I live in a small town where talk is just as small, but like I've said before, every now and then you'll hear a rumor about the hidden world. I live with my dad and he's kind of laxed about where I am and where I go but I have to be home at my curfew. If I don't then he turns into an angry ferile animal and it's not pretty at all. I'm a bit of a animal lover you see. My most adored and loved animals are wolves.

But enough about my bio and on to my story. Trust me you'll

Iike it a lot.

Chapter one

It was around 4:30pm when I got an email from my friend Aliphie. She had said something about another hidden city rumor in town. So I grabbed my jacket and pulled on my boots. Today was the day. I was going to find this hidden city. I've heard enough rumors. I texted Aliphie and told her the news.

Me: Hey girl. I'm going to find out a little about this and then see if the rumors are true. I'm so excited. I told dad I was going to your house for a couple days!

Aliphie: Ok girl. I hope you find everything out. I'm super anxious to see what you find!

Me: Alright! I'll text you if I can if I find anything. Later!

There was no reply after that because I don't even know if she read it. All I know was I had to do a little bit of digging around to see if any of this was true. I grabbed my small sketch book and a pen and raced off with a bag of all the things I would need.

I raced through town trying to find out everything I could before my curfew. I ended up getting only a few tips of where to find it, which was all I really needed. I ended up getting home only seconds before dark and sat down at the table for dinner. I needed to eat all I could, because tonight would be the night I break my dads biggest rule: sneaking out! I'm not a bad girl, it's just when I really want something, I have to have it, and this is something I really want to do.

At around 10:30pm my dad called up. "Lights out!" I took a deep breath and turned my light off and covered up with a blanket on my bed. My dad came up to check on me before retiring to his room for the night. I sat up and listened for any signs of movement, and when I heard his light snores from down the hall, that was my cue.

I walked over to my window and quietly opened it up. I listened once to more to insure my dad hadn't woken up. Once all was clear, I jumped out and landed smoothly on the ground. I took one last look at the house, took a deep breath, and rushed off towards the woods.

I had to have been walking for almost an hour getting frustrated every second. The man I talked to said walk for about thirty minutes after you pass by the pond. Well I've been walking for almost an hour. I didn't give up. Tips had told me that the entrance was in the center of four oak trees growing together. I vainly searched in the darkness for the tree, but to no avail.

I was just about to give up, when a small voice within me shouted out, turn left and run straight! In instinct I listened. I sprinted for almost ten minutes, tired and out of breath, I leaned over to try and catch my breath. I looked up and saw a small light through a lot of thick growing trees. I walked forward and moved some of the branches around to see.

My eyes had to adjust, but as they did, I saw the tree I'd been so gallantly searching for. It was beautiful. It had a huge base with a large almost cut out inside that looked like a pedestal. The four trunks branched off in different directions but twisted back upwards towards the top. The leaves had almost like a mystical glow to them.

I slowly walked out and towards the trees. I stopped every now and then to look around, just to make sure there wasn't anything around. After all, it is a mere paranormal area. I got to the base of the tree and looked at the center. There seemed to be what looked like a little door. It had an ivory handle and a little red wood door. I reached out for the handle but heard something rustling in the trees ahead of me.

I ducked down behind the tree and sat there a moment. I peeked over the edge a little and saw four men and what looked like a girl. They all wore hoods except for one, who was in shackles behind two of the men. The girl looked up in my direction, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

" I know you're there child. You don't have to hide." She called out in a soft voice.

I stood up and looked over the 6 people standing there. The men were burly looking, like they were ready to kill on sight. The girl, almost looked like royalty, and the boy in the shackles was beaten and tattered. She pulled back her hood to reveal her face. Soft, gentle golden eyes met my gaze. Her smile faded into a devilish looking frown.

"Get her!" She said softly to the two guards on her right.

I froze up. The moment the men lashed out at me my mind snapped back into to place, but by that time, the men already had me to the ground and cuffed. I tried to struggle, but it proved to do no good. I bit at one of the men's hands and he sent an immediate blow to my head. I layed there seeing stars and black splotches, until eventually I saw nothing.

I woke up on the ground in what seemed to be a busted up prison cell. There were no beds nor a bathroom at that. The ground was covered in dark colored sand and littered here and there with bones. But they didn't look like human bones. I tried to stand up, but only to fall back down again. I sat up against the wall and looked across the cell.

I saw a pair of bright golden eyes staring at me from the other side of the cell. It was the woman from before. She wore a slick smile, and looked as though ready to kill on sight. I backed as far as I could against the wall as she unlocked the door and took big steps forward.

" Hello, little girl.."

Ok so this is something new I've wanted to work on, and hope to develop into a better story. I hope y'all enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

I was scared, but I knew I had to ask this girl something about this strange place. "Wh-who are you?", I said, my voice trembling.

"How cute. It can speak." She said this in a playful tone, as if she was mocking me. "I am Vanea, however you shall refer to me as Lady Vanea. I am one of the princesses of this place, which means I get to determine the fate of Outlanders like you."

"...Outlanders? What's an outlander?" I asked hesitantly

She let out a muffled chuckle. "In time, you will learn. I, however, have important duties to attend to. I must not waste my time with rubbish prisoners! This was a fun chat mutt." She beckons to the guards outside the cell.

"Guards! Bring in the other traveler!"

They carry in an older looking man, weak and frail and wearing nothing but rags. They take no care in tossing the elder to the ground of the prison cell, as the woman who calls herself Vanea walks away from the door.

"Ta ta for now! You mutts have fun with each other, and try not to bite!" She struts away, her laugh almost turning into a cackle as she leaves. I have decided that I really don't like her.

I was so focused on her that I almost forgot about my new cellmate, and I would have forgotten completely unless he hadn't moved and grunted off the floor.

His voice was shaky and quiet, but he quickly started to grow some strength as the guards marched away.

"You... you're an Outlander. I would bet my tail that you have a lot of unanswered questions."

I was shocked that he already knew this, which only raised my curiosity.

"First of all, I must introduce myself. My name is Zirago, I am a traveler between our two worlds."

Reluctantly, I said, "Ok... So Zirago... What is this place, what's an "Outlander", what's going to happen to me, and who was that woman?"

A short smile crossed his face, and I could have sworn I heard quiet laughter coming from him. "Heh heh heh... Only 4 questions out of you? Usually they ask at least 15, so why so few from a pretty thing such as yourself?"

I was taken aback by that last comment, but I told him, "I had already heard rumors about this place, and those questions seem the most important. So can I get an answer now please?"

"Impatient now, aren't we?" He said with almost no sympathy. "Alright. To start this off, your world and our world are separated, and the only way to get to and from the worlds you must use these portals."

"Like... that tree in the forest?" I asked

"Precisely my dear. We call this world the Land of the Dwelling Wolves. It is a world of magic that your world is unaware of. Your world-"

"Earth. It's called earth," I said, correcting him.

"As I was saying," he continued without regarding me, " We call your world the Outlands, and thus its inhabitants the Outlanders."

I was glad that he was explaining this so clearly, but I still needed answers.

Then he went on, "And as for your other questions, which I did not forget m'lady, that woman was one of our princesses and one of our rulers. There is her, Princess Vanea, her younger sister, who is known by Princess Meyneth, and their mother- her Majesty, Queen Lorithia."

(So thats the girl who threw me in here!) I thought to myself. "And lastly... what are they going to do to me?"

He let out a worried sigh. "That, I am afraid, is the biggest matter you should be focusing on. You see, traveling between our worlds has been prohibited by our Queen, which is why you and I are imprisoned. Furthermore, they have created... a test for Outlanders like you. They are called... The Trials of Fenrir."

"Ominous sounding enough?" I said sarcastically

"They are named so because of the amount of people who have died trying to complete those challenges," he told me. "They test your physical, as well as mental strength. If you can pass the Trials, then you will be accepted as one of our own, and soon turn into one of us."

This part reminded me of something... I forget to mention what these people looked like. I thought it was unnecessary, because I thought this was still a dream. But when Zirago mentioned death, it kinda woke me up. These people... are part wolf. Every single one of them: Zirago, Vanea, that boy who was carried by the guards at the gate, and even my prison guards; they all had lupine ears, and a tail. Now their other features were human enough, but these set them quite different from normal humans. Thought that might be an important part of my story... speaking of which, I better get back to telling it.

The old man had just told me about the trials, and I think I had a clear head now. "Alright then," I asked him, "What if I fail the trials, or don't want to even do them in the first place?"

He said, "Let's just say... at least you would leave behind a pretty corpse."

Ouch. This guy does NOT cut out the details. "So... what are these challenges?"

"This... may take a while to explain. Grab a stone tile, and I'll tell you."

He had the nerve to make a joke about being in a rock prison cell. Wow.

I took a seat, and he started to explain the challenges and the rules...

As he told me the challenges I'd have to face, it felt like hours went by...

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I am SO not ready for this!

 ****authors' note****

 **This chapter was written not by Lady Vanitas herself, but by me. I am the great HeliX with a capital X! Not bad for my first time writing a story, eh? I plan on writing my own things in the future, so if you wanna read my own stories, then search for my name and stay tuned! Note: be patient. I work slow, as seen by the time it took for this chapter to come out.**


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